By Erte - Romain de Tirtoff
Located in Greenwich, CT
Florida (Pearl Dress) is an expertly crafted, embossed serigraph on black paper with foil stamping and an image size of 33 x 25.5 inches. From the edition of 686, the art is numbered 212/300 and signed 'Erté' lower right (there were also 300 Roman, 65 AP, 1 PP and 20 HC). framed in an elegant gold-tone moulding.
Originally a costume design for the American Millionairess Revue at the Théâtre Fémina in Paris in 1917, Florida (Pearl Dress) stands as a testament to the genius and creativity of Erté. It was at the Théâtre Fémina that Erté worked closely with Gaby Deslys, the greatest French music-hall star of her day. It was Madame Rasimi – the theater’s founder – wo discovered the young Romain de Tirtoff (Erté) and employed his talents to her theater’s great benefit.
In Pearl Dress, the flowing gold train cascades from the gown to create a wonderful sense of style and grace. As the primary source of color in the design, the gold and pearls sit in contrast to the dynamic black background of the print, while the geometric pattern of rectangles and squares, all deeply embossed and metal-foiled, create the perception of depth and drama.
One of the earliest costume designs by Erté, Pearl Dress stood as a reflection of American culture – of riches and excess – while expressing Erté’s love...
Category
20th Century Art Deco Erte - Romain de Tirtoff Art